The departure hall at Brussels Airport will be partially open on 1 May. It took less than 40 days for the Brussels Airport staff who worked relentlessly, to restore a large part of the departure hall for its passengers. Following an opening ceremony, the passengers of three flights departing on Sunday afternoon will be able to check in via the departure hall. As of Monday, the check-in procedure for all flights will be divided between the departure hall and the temporary structure.
“Sunday is an important day in the recovery of Brussels Airport. The doors of the departure hall will open again. The fact that this is possible in less than 40 days after the attacks, is without any doubt a technical and operational tour de force that took an enormous effort to hundreds of people. I would like to thank all those involved who came from far and near. The reopening is an important moment for the entire airport community and Belgium. For many of them it will be a difficult moment, but they can count on the support of our large airport family”, says Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport Company.
In the departure hall 111 check-in counters will be in service. The 36 check-in counters in the temporary structures will remain open, which means that there are 147 check-in counters at the disposal of the passengers and airlines. Passengers and staff will have more space and comfort at the check-in. The capacity of the airport increases to at least 80% of the number of passengers before the attacks.
“Over the last two weeks we have seen passenger numbers grow at our airport. It is positive that the passengers and airlines are quickly regaining their confidence in our airport. It is also a hopeful sign of recovery for the entire country, not least for the Brussels economy which has suffered greatly from the consequences of the attacks. These coming months, it will be very important to rebuild the image of our country abroad. Our objective is to raise the capacity to 100% by mid June”, says Feist.
As with the temporary structures, passengers will also have to pass a pre-check by the security services before they can enter the departure hall. In addition, only passengers will be allowed in the departure hall and the temporary structures.
Each airline has a place assigned in the departure hall or in the temporary structures where they can organise their check-ins. The distribution of the counters has been done on the basis of the requisite passenger capacity, and taking into account the current flight schedule. Airlines will inform their passengers about the place where they have to check in. This information will also be available on the website of Brussels Airport www.brusselsairport.be . Staff from Brussels Airport will also assist passengers on the spot if they have questions regarding their check-in desk.
